Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK is a volunteer-run search and rescue service that uses drone technology to help reunite lost dogs with their owners across the United Kingdom. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Graham Burton is the data controller.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at dronesarlostdogs@gmail.com.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to operate our lost dog reporting and search coordination service:

When you report a lost or found dog:

• Your contact details — name, phone number, email address, and optional alternative phone number
• Dog details — name, breed, age, sex, colour, size, microchip number, distinguishing features
• Location information — where the dog was lost or found, town, postcode
• Circumstances — date, time, and description of how the dog went missing
• Photographs — images of the dog you upload to assist identification
• Service preferences — whether you request a drone search or consent to social media sharing

When you post a sighting or comment:

• Your name (or chosen display name)
• The content of your comment

When you create an admin or volunteer account:

• Name, email address, and password (passwords are stored in hashed form and are never visible to anyone)

Automatically collected information:

• Session cookies — essential cookies required for the website to function (login sessions, CSRF protection). We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following lawful bases:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — When you submit a lost dog report, you explicitly consent to us processing and publishing the information you provide in order to assist with the search. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) — We have a legitimate interest in coordinating search operations, sharing sighting information between volunteers, and maintaining the safety and integrity of our service. We balance this against your rights and only process the minimum data needed.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal information to:

• Publish your dog's details on our website so the public can help identify and locate your pet
• Coordinate drone pilots and ground search volunteers in your area
• Contact you with updates, sightings, or search progress
• Share your report on social media platforms (only if you have opted in)
• Administer and improve our service

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share limited data with:

• Drone SAR volunteers and pilots — Authorised volunteers coordinating a search for your dog will have access to relevant contact and location details.
• Social media platforms — If you opt in to social media sharing, we may post your dog's listing (without your contact details) to our Facebook group and other social channels to increase visibility.
• Law enforcement — We will share information with the police if we believe a dog has been stolen or if required to do so by law.

We do not transfer your data outside the United Kingdom.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your report data for the following periods:

• Active reports (lost) — Retained for as long as the search is active.
• Resolved reports (found/reunited) — Retained for up to 12 months after resolution so the listing can serve as a success story and reference, then anonymised or deleted.
• Photographs — Deleted when the report is removed or upon your request.
• Comments and sightings — Retained alongside the report they relate to and deleted on the same schedule.
• Account data — Retained for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.

You may request earlier deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

7. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure — Ask us to delete your data (the "right to be forgotten"). We will comply unless we have a lawful reason to retain it.
• Restrict processing — Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Data portability — Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Object — Object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests.
• Withdraw consent — Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dronesarlostdogs@gmail.com. We will respond within one month as required by law.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data transmitted to and from our website
• Hashed passwords that cannot be read by anyone, including administrators
• Access controls limiting who can view owner contact details to authorised administrators only
• Regular review of data access and security practices

While we take every reasonable precaution, no internet transmission is completely secure. We encourage you to contact us immediately if you believe your account or data has been compromised.

9. Cookies

Our website uses only strictly necessary cookies required for the site to function:

• Session cookie — Maintains your login session and form security tokens (CSRF). Expires when you close your browser or after inactivity.

We do not use analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking cookies. Because we only use strictly necessary cookies, separate cookie consent is not required under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

10. Children's Privacy

Our reporting service is intended for use by individuals aged 16 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child has submitted a report, please contact us so we can remove their data.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact: